Let’s see - Social Media Trends 2023

A new year - new opportunities. But with a new year also comes new trends for many areas of the business world. First and foremost, marketing and social media. We've looked at trends that are on the agenda for social media in 2023, but will definitely play a role for other areas of business as well. So here we go!

Trends in 2023

Trend No. 1:  Bye, Bye Cookies.

The issue has been known for some time - Google has now once again postponed the end of third-party cookies until 2024. But it will come, and for companies that means looking for alternatives. Because even after third-party cookies, the Internet experience should be as personalized as possible. Cookies also represent a central source of information for social media marketing, so there will be some changes for marketing here as well. Regardless of the alternative, however, it should still be noted that privacy is important and is a sensitive issue for very many people. One alternative, for example, is social listening - monitoring mentions and conversations on social media of a brand or company, among other things. Once the relevant information has been collected, it is analyzed and prepared for social media marketing. 

Trend No. 2: Video content will dominate

Hootsuite had predicted that TikTok would become the most important social network in the world in 2022. They were right. In 2023, TikTok will continue to grow in importance, both for marketing through new features and for content creators. What is equally certain for both sides is that video content will dominate in the future. This is not only true for TikTok, but also for other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, as well as for the company's own website. With TikTok, companies should have TikTok Ads on their radar and think about this form of paid advertising for their own corporate strategy. TikTok is definitely conquering the world - while there is now already the possibility of direct messages, payment and digital services, there are also rumors that TikTok also wants to penetrate the offline world - possibly, competition for Amazon.
⁠So if you don't produce and publish videos yet, you should urgently add it to your To Do list.

Trend No. 3: Let's Go Influencer Marketing! 

This trend is nothing new, but it's consistent on social media and it's not going to change anytime soon - influencer marketing. Influencer marketing is a much cheaper marketing option here than producing print ads or commercials, for example. Influencers can also help achieve more marketing goals than just generating leads. For both businesses and influencers, these are the reasons why this form of marketing is so popular, and it's not slowing down. 
⁠Many marketers rely on more than 1-2 influencers and build an entire network of brand ambassadors via social media. Niche influencers should not be underestimated, because they may have a smaller target group, but loyalty and retention are often higher.

Trend No. 4: Shopping via social media - social commerce

Many people spend a large part of their time with and on social media - this is no longer an exaggeration in today's world, but everyday life. So it's not surprising that you can now also shop via social media - so-called social commerce. What that is and what the difference is to social selling, you can read in our article.
⁠Well, social commerce is becoming more and more important, even in 2023. For companies, this means that they have to take a close look at their store system to see whether it is also compatible with social commerce and whether it offers the necessary functions to keep up with this trend. The growth potential of social commerce is enormous: while in China around one in two people already make purchases via social media, in the USA the figure is just 44%. And that's with the forecast that social commerce will be a nearly $80 billion industry by 2025. 

Trend No. 5: No more greenwashing, hello real environmental protection!

Sustainability is a topic that accompanies us not only in politics and society and presents companies with new challenges. More and more discussions are taking place in the e-commerce sector in particular, and the expectations of end consumers are also becoming increasingly louder. This also includes social media, because here, too, companies will have to think about sustainability concepts and these will also have to be communicated correctly via the various channels.

A survey shows this quite clearly: Approximately 82% of consumers expect companies to put the needs of people, nature and the entire planet above their own profit. 
⁠What should be in focus here is a holistic concept that is authentic. Otherwise, we quickly talk about "greenwashing" here, trying to give yourself a more responsible image as a company without any basis, evidence or foundation for this. Credibility and trust have always been important in marketing, and as consumers' expectations of sustainability continue to rise, these two values are more important than ever.

Trend No. 6: New focus: Hello communities

The basis of just about every marketing and communications strategy is the personas and target groups that companies align themselves with. For 2023, the trend will move away from personas a bit, especially in the area of social media. Here, the focus is now on communities. The reason? Probably the cause is the pandemic and its aftermath - individuals adapt faster and tend to behave more changeably. A "horror" for marketing, because for whom do you write your articles and design campaigns? 
⁠Yes, for communities. Because communities grow and shrink, the needs, desires and points of identification that brought people together are more constant. 

Trend No. 7: Fake news and deepfakes 

Fake news and hate speech have always been the dark side of social media. They spread quickly and sometimes have more than serious consequences. Not only individuals, but also companies and even governments face the task of combating deepfakes (AI-produced video content showing fake activity), fake news and hate speech. 
⁠Sooner or later, there will probably have to be a "credibility" or "trust" filter in addition to the typical SPAM filter.

Trend No. 8: Social Audio Strategy 

Even though the audio format is nothing new, the importance and pressure on social networks is increasing. Radio and, above all, podcasts are popular both in Germany, Europe and also around the world. For companies, this means that a social audio strategy could be part of marketing in the future - meaning that there will be opportunities that will only be available in audio format. If you'd like to delve deeper into the topic of podcast marketing, feel free to take a look at our article on it. You can find it here. Facebook as a platform also offers almost a bouquet of new possibilities - first and foremost audio functions, also with the possibility to consume podcasts. 

Summary 

8 trends we've presented to you. 8 trends that will keep us busy at least in 2023 - video content through TikTok probably longer. 
⁠We are curious to see how the year will develop. As always, you can find more reading material on our blog.